August 06, 2020

The arts take center stage in Downtown Springfield this weekend. It’s time for First Friday Art Walk and a special streaming show from Springfield Contemporary Theatre. Here are all the details you need to know to have a safe and art-filled good time.

First Friday Art Walk is back!

After a short pandemic break, First Friday Art Walk returns in August. To ensure the health and success of the arts community, organizers are encouraging guests to follow mask ordinances, utilize sanitation stations and practice physical distancing when possible.

Nine venues are participating this month. Many of them are only operating for business hours. Others will be open for shorter hours during this Art Walk. Check out the official FFAW map for hours of operation. This month’s venues are:

• The Bonsai Guy, 600 West Walnut St.
• BookMarx, 325 East Walnut St., Suite 101
• The Creamery Arts Center, 411 North Sherman Parkway
• Hotel Vandivort, 305 East Walnut St.
• Kokoro Training Academy, 212 West McDaniel St.
• Obelisk Home at the Inspired Commerce Building, 214 West Phelps
• Springfield Brewing Company, 305 South Market Ave.
• Transformation Gallery & Tattoo, 330 East Walnut St.
• The Vineyard Church, 634 West Wall St.

Obelisk Home is using Art Walk to launch its 14th Annual Birdhouse Auction, benefiting Habitat for Humanity. Artists were asked to design a birdhouse without any limitations. They donated their creations to allow all proceeds to go directly to Habitat for Humanity. Bidding begins at 6 p.m. and runs through September’s FFAW. Bidding will end at 10 p.m. Sept. 4.

Not ready to venture out to a gallery? No problem! The Springfield Regional Arts Council is offering a Virtual Springfield Inspired Show you can view online! Just go to their website and follow the instructions. 

A (virtual) Taste of SCT Sings

Springfield Contemporary Theatre has been entertaining audiences for more than 20 years. With in-person shows on hold the creative team has found a new way to stage its popular SCT Sings music series.

“Fascinating Rhythms: A Taste of SCT Sings” begins streaming on SCT’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9. The concert was professionally recorded over the course of two sessions at SCT’s home in the Wilhoit Plaza. The hour-long show features familiar SCT performers and musicians from the area reprising past performances. It also includes brand new performances from those who were scheduled to perform in March’s canceled SCT Sings Burt Bacharach concert. Performers include:

• Renee Elkady
• Lavelle Johnston
• Derrick DeVonne King
• Johnnie Angelia King
• Kelly Osborne
• Carol Reinert
• Dillon Savage
• Erin Schiebe
• Ali Smith
• Todd Smith
• Darby Vincent

There will also be special performances from Erica Spyres and Kassie Carroll Downey recorded from New York City and Oklahoma respectively.

“When trying to figure out what we could safely present (for both actors/musicians and audiences), a concert was what kept coming to mind,” SCT Resident Music Director Alex Huff said. “A bulk of this program had already been rehearsed, so the ‘contact time’ for rehearsals and filming was reasonably small. That was a very important factor in our thought process. Looking back through past SCT Sings concerts allowed me to put together a pretty well-rounded and varied concert with people that we all know and love.”

This virtual production is a thank you for the community’s support of SCT’s Family First fundraising campaign. That campaign started in early May, in conjunction with Giving Tuesday. SCT will share a direct link to the YouTube concert on its Facebook page and an email blast prior to the presentation. Donations will be accepted through SCT’s website and Facebook page.

Underwriting for Fascinating Rhythms provided by Jeff and Donna Carney and the Missouri Arts Council.